6 places in Singapore for a fabulous iftar meal

The end of each day's fast during Ramadan is cause for fellowship with friends and family. Here are some tempting iftar options whether you're looking for a casual cafe to hang with your crew or a buffet dinner that will impress your nenek.

Bumi Café

This new café’s official opening may only be happening at the end of April, but you can already nosh on Asian-style tapas while people watching in its al fresco surrounds. Bumi Café is set in the courtyard of Gedung Kuning, the historical residence that was once part of the palace’s grounds.

Break your fast with friends over the likes of chicken tikka sliders ($13), rawon beef udon ($18), and French fries with percik sauce and scallion mayo ($8). On weekends, the place comes alive with performances by local musicians.

ALSO READ: 8 iftar spots to check out this Ramadan

Butter Bean

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Iftar might call for the new Lontong Sedap (from $7) at halal-certified café Butter Bean. Why? Because this classic celebratory dish comes with ketupat fries. Uh-huh. That’s classic ketupat, cut like a crinkle-cut potato chip, and crisped in hot fat. Sedap, lah. Celup in the lontong gravy and you have yourself an Iftar happy meal.

There’s also the BButter Milk Chick (from $7) — salted egg yolk chicken tossed in a creamy curry-infused bechamel sauce and served omu-rice-style, with a fluffy omelette on top of steamed white rice.

Ginger

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You can eat like royalty this Ramadan thanks to the ever effervescent Chef Wan, who is back at Ginger to present the best of Malaysia’s palace cuisine.

Available till April 23, Ginger’s Ramadan buffets (from $55) will showcase dishes like rendang udang galah Perak (prawns stewed in a rempah of shallots, ginger, lemongrass, dried chillies), kuzi kambing Johor (a complex mutton braise) and ayam percik Kelantan (chicken that is first simmered in a spicy brew before it is grilled to a smoky char). To sweeten the deal, Chef Wan has also added his mother’s kerabu meehoon Nonya to the spread.

Mutiara Seafood

Seafood lovers, rejoice! The Jumbo Group’s first halal restaurant (it is awaiting halal-certification at the time of writing) recently opened at Wisma Geylang Serai and serves all the Singaporean-style seafood classics that we know and love.

During Ramadan, Mutiara Seafood is offering 20 per cent off takeaways, so gather the fam and tuck into the likes of stir-fried scallops with XO sauce, chilli crabs, cereal prawns and steamed soon hock. The menu is extensive, which only means it’s better enjoyed when you have a crowd.

Peppermint

At this buffet restaurant at ParkRoyal Collection Marina Bay, the limited-time Flavours of Peranakan spread (from $68) comes with a side of  Michelin star. From now till 30 April, Peppermint is hosting a collab with Michelin-starred Auntie Gaik Lean’s Old School Eatery from Penang.

The fourth-generation Peranakan chef-owner has brought her signature dishes including kerabu kacang botol, assam prawns, nasi ulam and curry kapitan. Supplementing her line-up are other Nonya classics like ayam buah keluak and itek sio made according to Peppermint’s head chef Leon Yee’s great grandmother’s recipes.

Permata

Permata’s Ramadan buffets never disappoint. And this year is no different. The spread ($88) is warm and hearty, with festive dishes that you’ll want to dive into whether or not you’ve been fasting.

Start with the hard-to-find mee maidin (yellow noodles in a thick geragau shrimp gravy) and work your way across delights like opor chicken rice balls with sambal hijau, Minangkabau lamb ribs, and baked prawns lemak nanas. You’ll want to save room for dessert because options like bubur som som (coconut milk and rice flour pudding) can be difficult to find outside of Malay homes.

ALSO READ: Free drinks and snacks for Muslims from 60 FairPrice outlets during Ramadan

This article was first published in Wonderwall.sg.